Best vets 2025: how to find the right practice for you

Most people in the UK can access multiple vet practices, and choosing the right one can be confusing.

That's why we surveyed more than 4,000 pet owners about their experience with their vet and compiled their ratings to find the best surgeries in the UK. 

Our guide also offers advice on how to find the right vet for you and save money on your prescriptions.

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Best vets 2025

We surveyed 4,565 pet owners who visited a vet in the last 3 years to find out  about their experience with their vet to create our expert reviews.

Log in or join Which? for instant access to the results below. 

Customer scores ranged from 69% to 87%. Our top-scoring vet finished 10 percentage points above the second-highest scorer.

Chain and independent vets in the UK

Our table provides ratings for independent vet practices and the six major vet chains in the UK. 

According to the CMA, over 60% of vet practices in the UK belong to a chain. A vet practice belongs to a chain if it's part of a large group of vet practices owned by the same people or by a business. The six chains we've reviewed are the largest in the UK.

For the purpose of this research, we have categorised a vet practice as independent if it is not part of a large chain. Some independents may be part of a small group of practices. They typically operate out of a local area and are not nationally known. 

It can be difficult to find out whether your vet is part of a chain or not, especially because practices in the same chain may have very different branding. Unfortunately, there is no single list of all chain or independent vets. 

Vet practices that belong to a chain normally mention this on their websites. A lot of vets display the logo of their chain or the name of their chain (referred to as the 'Company registered name') at the bottom of their homepages, but not always.

Similarly, most but not all independent practices will mention that they are independent. 

If you want to be sure whether your vet is independent or part of a specific chain, you may need to contact it directly. 

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Why don't any vets get our recommendation? 

If you're familiar with Which?, you may have expected to see our top-scoring vets earn a Which? Recommended Provider award. However, we aren't endorsing any vets at the moment. 

When we ran an investigation into vet practices, we identified some areas of concern. 

We found that vets rarely list prices of consultations, treatments and medications on their websites, and may not inform consumers about prices of treatments before they're administered. People are also unable to easily identify whether their vet is independent or belongs to a chain. 

An investigation by the CMA produced similar results. It also reported that prices of vet treatments have risen faster than inflation. 

It is important to highlight that both our investigation and the CMA report found high levels of clinical skills and professionalism across vets. Our concerns are with the practices (such as lack of pricing transparency) rather than with the vets themselves (for instance, the level of care they provide). 

We are waiting for the outcome of the CMA investigation and possible changes within the industry before we consider making an endorsement. 

Pricing transparency in our survey

We asked our survey respondents when they were made aware of the price of vet consultations and their pets' treatments.

We asked respondents:

• Whether they had ever booked a consultation with their vet without being aware of the price
• Whether they had ever booked a follow-up treatment with their vet (i.e., in which they had to return to the practice for a treatment) without being aware of the price
• Whether they had ever received a larger bill than they expected from their vet. 

Log in or join Which? to find out what they said.

Trust in vets in our survey

We also surveyed our respondents about their level of trust in their vet. 

We asked respondents to fill in the blanks for the following statements: 

• Practitioners [BLANK] give me enough information about the treatment options available to allow me to make the best decision for my pet/s
• I am [BLANK] given enough time to consider the best course of action for my pet/s once they have been assessed by the vet
• I [BLANK] doubt whether treatment(s) recommended by my vet are necessary

Log in or join Which? to find out what they said.

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How to find the best vet for you

Remember, evidence shows that most vets provide a high standard of care. So, when choosing a vet, you may want to focus on location, accreditation and the services they provide. 

We recommend following these steps:

1. Use the RCVS website to find accredited vets near you

The RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) is the regulatory and standard-setting body in the UK. 

All vets in the UK must be registered with the RCVS in order to practice. 

However, the vet practices do not have to register with the RCVS in order to open. If they do, it means they have submitted to an RCVS assessment and follow the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) - a voluntary accreditation scheme for vet surgeries. 

Most vet surgeries are RCVS-accredited. 

You can use your postcode to search for RCVS-accredited practices or vet surgeons near you using the 'Find a Vet' tool on their website. 

2. Check the treatments offered

Like doctors, different vets specialise in different areas of treatment. So if you have a pet with a particular health issue, you could search for a vet who specialises in that area. 

Also, different practices offer a different level of emergency and out-of-hours coverage. 

If your pet is particularly accident-prone, we recommend looking for a surgery with a comprehensive emergency service.

3. Consider the pricing plans

Some vets offer plans that let you pay a yearly or monthly amount to receive a range of routine services, such as vaccinations and deworming. 

If you regularly use these services, it could help you save money in the long-term. 

Some vets also offer payment plans, so that you can pay back a certain treatment over a set period of time rather than as a lump sum. 

They might offer this service through the practice or a third-party provider, like Klarna. If you do opt for a payment plan, bear in mind that missing a repayment can negatively impact your credit score. 

4. Read the online reviews

Once you have a shortlist of potential vets, check online reviews for the practice. 

Our expert vet reviews combine the ratings of over 4,000 real-life pet owners to give you a good sense of the type and quality of services they offer. 

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How to save on vet bills and medications

Due to a lack of pricing transparency across vet practices, it can be hard to know whether you're visiting the cheapest practice or getting good value for money on your treatments and prescriptions.  

But there are some steps you can take to keep your bills as low as possible. 

1. Buy prescriptions elsewhere

Some vets have a pharmacy within their surgery, or are partnered with a pharmacy nearby. They typically charge higher prices for prescriptions at these pharmacies because they are more convenient. 

But if you ask for a copy of your prescription, you may be able to find the medication more cheaply at a different pharmacy. 

There are several online pet pharmacies, and some branches of Boots or Lloyds Pharmacies have pet pharmacy services. 

2. Ask for generic rather than named-brand medications

If you've seen our breakdown of hayfever medication, you'll know that branded medication can cost much more than its generic counterparts, even though it contains the same ingredients. 

The same is true of medication for your pets. 

When your vet writes a prescription, check that it's for a generic medication. If it isn't, ask whether a generic version is available.

3. Consider seeing a veterinary nurse

Consultations with veterinary nurses are significantly cheaper than those with vet surgeons, but nurses can offer brilliant advice and support too. 

If you need advice on managing long-term conditions, weight management, or just need help monitoring your pet, a consultation with a nurse might be suitable. 

But any acute, serious, or time-sensitive issues will require a vet. 

4. Focus on prevention

Prevention is better than cure - and tends to be cheaper too. 

Ensuring that your pet has regular check-ups, deworming, up-to-date vaccinations and proper dental care can do a lot to prevent serious issues from developing. 

Some vets offer this sort of routine care on a payment plan, which could save you more money. 

In the same way, keeping your pet at a healthy weight and ensuring they get plenty of exercise will help keep them healthy. 

5. Look for financial aid

The RSPCA, Blue Cross and People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) all offer free or low-cost vet care or assistance with vet bills to eligible people.

Those who are eligible are typically people on some form of benefit (such as jobseeker's allowance), so check each organisation's website for details.

How much is a vet consultation?

In January 2025, the pet insurance company Many Pets surveyed 75 vets across the UK on how much they charge for a consultation. The average cost was £58.29. 

However, this price increases significantly for out-of-hours or emergency consultations. 

Also, if your pet requires treatment during the consultation, it will end up costing more. 

Have vet bills increased? 

The short answer is yes.

Three in four pet owners in our survey (74%) said that they feel vet consultation fees have increased in the last three years, and 80% said the same about treatments and medications. 

The CMA has reported that treatment prices did indeed increase by over 60% between 2015 and 2025 (compared with general inflation of services of 35%).

There are a number of drivers for this increase. We hope that increased pricing transparency, as well as other changes specified in our report, will help to stabilise prices in this area. 

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Online vets: how do they work?

Online vets offer consultations by phone or video chat. 

You can generally book these consultations using an app or website. You can use online vets regardless of whether or not you're already registered with another vet. 

Online consultations are great if you can't get to your vet practice in person or need to discuss whether or not further care is necessary. 

However, for acute or serious issues, it's better to see your vet in person if you can.

Can online vets write prescriptions?

Yes, some online vets can write prescriptions. 

This should be possible if you're speaking with a registered veterinary surgeon. But some consultations will be for advice only, or will be with veterinary nurses, who can't generally write prescriptions. 

In some cases, the vet may feel it's not appropriate to write a prescription without physically seeing or examining the pet first.